Chargers Should Keep an Eye on A.J. Brown, Eagles Trade Drama

There's going to be plenty of options for the Los Angeles Chargers to improve on offense this offseason. After a year where they failed to have a receiver reach 800 yards, that's bound to improve in 2026. The Chargers fired Greg Roman in favor of Mike McDaniel, the former Miami Dolphins' head coach.

McDaniel orchestrated one of the league's most electric offenses in Miami, along with his time as the offensive coordinator in San Francisco. Now in Los Angeles, he'll be tasked with getting Justin Herbert and company back on track. Herbert came into the league swinging, with three consecutive 4,000-plus yard seasons. He hasn't reached that mark in the last three years.

Maybe the missing piece is a true No.1 threat for Herbert to target. Could A.J. Brown be that piece? The disgruntled receiver has openly voiced his frustrations with the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite brushing it off to the media, it's clear Brown and the Eagles should head for a divorce.

Chargers should keep tabs on potential A.J. Brown trade

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According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Brown's relationship with the Eagles is "tenuous" and discussions about his future will take place in two weeks, around the start of the NFL Combine.

The one thing that could complicate a potential trade is money. If the Eagles trade Brown before June 1, they'll take on a $43.4 million dead cap hit in 2026. If they wait until after June 1, they'll save $7 million this year and a dead cap hit of just $16.4 million. The Eagles likely wouldn't want to wait to trade Brown, due to the possibility of adding draft capital this year.

Brown barely crossed the 1,000-yard treshold the last two seasons, after consecutive 1,400+ yard campaigns to begin his Eagles tenure in 2022 and 2023. Frustrations have seriously boiled over to a point where Brown looks disinterested when on the field.

Money won't be an issue for the Chargers, as they have a healthy cap situation over the next three seasons. Brown has cap hits of $23M, $22M, $27M and $29M over the remainder of his contract. He'll be 32 years old by the end of the deal.

If the Chargers deem this a viable option, they should take the risk of trading for Brown.

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